California braces for more blackouts as power runs low amid heatwave

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San Francisco/Los Angeles — California is bracing for another round of targeted blackouts on Monday as a heatwave continues to smother the region and power supplies run low.

While the state’s grid operator said no outages were planned for Sunday night — sparing the region a third consecutive night of blackouts — the respite may be fleeting. The California Independent System Operator (ISO) has warned it may not have adequate supplies over the next few days to meet the anticipated crush of demand for electricity to power air conditioners and fans. It has asked consumers to conserve energy for the next four days.

Since Friday, millions of people statewide have been briefly plunged into darkness as the California ISO has called for shut-offs to cope with surging demand for the first time since the 2001 energy crisis. It comes during one of the worst heatwaves to hit the state in generations.

The worst may be yet to come. The heat isn’t forecast to peak until Tuesday or Wednesday. By then, the state’s ageing power equipment may be pushed to the brink. Transformers — the metal cylinders sitting atop power poles — can malfunction and even catch fire if they can’t cool off at night. During a 10-day heatwave in 2006, California utilities lost more than 1,500 of the devices, with each knocking out one neighbourhood in the process.

Monday and Tuesday “will be quite hot, and there will be a number of records again”, said David Roth, a senior branch forecaster with the US Weather Prediction Center. “It is pretty much the whole west.”

The heat and the blackouts come nearly a year after California utilities intentionally cut power to millions to prevent live wires from sparking wildfires during windstorms. This round of outages come at an especially vulnerable time, with Covid-19 forcing people to remain at home. That’s left those without power with a difficult choice between enduring the heat indoors and seeking relief elsewhere.

Heat domes

The heatwave gripping the West Coast stems from a stubborn high-pressure system that has centred across the Great Basin that spans Nevada and other western states. It acts as a lid trapping hot air, and there aren’t any indications it will budge soon.

Such phenomenons, called heat domes, are getting worse as the Earth’s climate changes. As the planet warms, the contrast between the heat at the equator and the cold at ...
17 Aug 2020 4AM English South Africa Business News · News

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